October 4, 2021

The celebration at Town Hall on October 8 features MSM faculty, alumni, and MSM Artists in Residence The American String Quartet.

Manhattan School of Music has had close ties with the Naumburg Foundation for many years and salutes this important milestone in the respected organization’s history!

The MSM Artists in Residence The American String Quartet (pictured above) will be performing at the event, along with soprano and MSM alumna Dawn Upshaw (MM ’85, HonDoc ’98), and MSM faculty member clarinetist Charles Neidich.

Opening remarks at the gala are by composer John Corigliano (’63, HonDoc ’92) who is a member of the Naumburg Foundation Board of Directors.

The foundation’s president Nicholas Mann, Chair of the Strings Department at MSM, notes that 17 MSM faculty members have been recipients of the annual Naumburg Chamber Music Award since the Foundation began 50 years ago.

“It was a groundbreaking idea to promote chamber music in the United States in 1971, and the Naumburg Chamber Music Award quickly became the standard bearer of excellence in the chamber music world,” says Nicholas.

“We are extremely proud of our winners and the compositions we have commissioned for the groups, and we look forward to a joyous celebration of these 50 years on October 8,” he says.